Flight Software Engineer

Katalyst Space Technologies•Broomfield, CO

2d•$105,000 - $250,000•Onsite

About The Position

Katalyst is seeking a Flight Software Engineer to own core flight software subsystems end-to-end. This role involves writing modern C++ and Python on a Linux flight computer, ensuring memory and thread safety under schedule pressure. The engineer will manage changes from design through verification, deployment, and on-orbit behavior. Responsibilities include running point on anomalies, diagnosing issues from telemetry and logs, and fixing defects. The role also involves strengthening the team through rigorous code reviews, comprehensive documentation, and coaching less experienced engineers. The engineer will defend design decisions with data to various stakeholders including GNC, avionics, operations, and leadership.

Requirements

Deep, hands-on C++ on real-time or resource-constrained systems that had to work, RTOS or embedded Linux
Fault-tolerant thinking: what happens when this module fails, how the vehicle stays safe and commandable, how it recovers without waiting for the ground
The habit of finishing: you close what you commit to, you verify before you call it done, and when a date slips we hear it from you first
The instinct to challenge an assumption, back the challenge with data, and convince people. Engineers here make the call and defend it.
BS in computer science, computer engineering, aerospace, electrical engineering, or equivalent proficiency.
US person (ITAR). No security clearance required, this is commercial servicing.

Nice To Haves

cFS, custom middleware, or other spacecraft and robotics frameworks.
Radios, CCSDS, or spacecraft comms stacks
SIL/HIL test infrastructure you built or ran yourself
Rust, or safety-critical process experience (MISRA, NASA-STD-8739.8)
Pose estimation, relative navigation, or vision-consumer integration

Responsibilities

Own core flight software subsystems end to end: telemetry and messaging, the command and sequencing path, fault detection and recovery, hardware interfaces (UART, CAN, TCP/IP, RS-422), and the radios that keep us commandable
Write modern C++ on a Linux flight computer, Python where it moves faster, and keep it memory-safe and thread-safe under schedule pressure, because the schedule belongs to a spacecraft
Take changes from design through review, flatsat and hardware-in-the-loop verification, deploy, and on-orbit behavior, and close them, verified and handed over, not demoed
Run point on anomalies: diagnose from telemetry and logs, decide what is safe to command, then fix the class of defect, not the instance
Make the team stronger: review flight code with rigor, hand systems off with documentation that outlives you, and coach less experienced engineers to shippable instead of rewriting their work
Defend your design decisions to GNC, avionics, operations, and leadership, with data